“Still, I’m not just getting in everyone’s way, am I? I apologized to Mikel, Bartha, and Jeeda over there a little while ago, but no matter how many times I bow my head, their fates remain irreparably twisted.”
“Oh, you apologized to them too? But I’m sure none of them blamed you for what happened to them, right?”
“That’s what was so difficult about it. It would have felt better if they had thrown rocks at me or the like.”
“They would never. You aren’t the one who harmed Mikel and framed the Red Beards. They don’t blame you because you didn’t do anything to them.” Still, the ones who had committed all of those unforgivable deeds were Lefreya’s father Cyclaeus and her uncle Ciluel, so I understood where she was coming from. I stared straight into Lefreya’s pale eyes as I continued, “Your resolve is really impressive, but you don’t have to be so forward about wanting to apologize. This is a friendship banquet, so it’s enough for you to just enjoy yourself.”
“If I were to simply enjoy myself while causing trouble for the people around me, nothing will have changed,” Lefreya firmly insisted. She was showing the kind of stubbornness that I had very much come to expect from her.
“That’s not true,” I replied, feeling a bit nostalgic. “The old you never would have done something like this, right? You’ve changed more than enough.”
“But—”
“It made me really happy when I heard you wanted to attend a banquet at the forest’s edge. And I’m sure everyone else more or less thinks that too.”
Lefreya shot me a somewhat surprised look, then with an earnest smile she said, “Thank you.” It was probably the first time I had ever seen her smile so openly. “I cannot see things as optimistically as you do, but it makes me very happy to hear you say that.”
“Good. I mean, if anyone should have a grudge, it’s us, but I’m hoping we’ll get along well from here on out.”
“Of course. Still, I suspect that it will be much harder for me to visit the forest’s edge like this again, so you will have to come to the castle town instead, Asuta.”
“Naturally.”
Still smiling, Lefreya nodded, then turned back to the dessert table with a swish of her cloak. “Well then, I believe I would like to have another treat. That one there looks quite delicious as well.”
“Yes, please give it a try, Lefreya. We Ruu women gave our all to prepare these,” Tari Ruu said with a kind smile, and after I watched them out of the corner of my eye for a moment longer, Ai Fa and I walked away.
After we had taken a few steps, my clan head sighed and remarked, “We certainly have used up quite a bit of time while hardly eating at all. If possible, I would like to speak with Granny Jiba before the dance begins.”
“Then why don’t we go talk to her first? It doesn’t look like they’ll be running out of food anytime soon.”
That said, it felt like it would be a shame to just go back the way we had come from, so we finished our loop around the rest of the plaza while briefly checking out the stoves we hadn’t visited yet.
Mikel and Bozl were chatting next to the stove where Myme was helping out, and I spied Jeeda and Bartha there too. I didn’t know what exactly they had said to Lefreya, but they looked to be in very good spirits.
People were enjoying themselves elsewhere too, no matter where I looked. Shumiral and Vina Ruu were spending time with each other again, while Ji Maam and Deem Rutim were drinking together. Had the two of them gotten close after that last festival of the hunt?
As we walked along with the excitement of the banquet washing over us, we spotted a group that was standing separate from all the hustle and bustle: Yumi, Ben, Jou Ran, and Cheem Sudra. They were seated in front of a branch house, and it looked like Yumi and Ben were drinking. Though nothing seemed out of place, that grouping definitely caught my attention.
“Sorry, Ai Fa, but I haven’t greeted Jou Ran or Cheem Sudra yet, so is it okay if we have a quick word with them?”
My clan head bluntly replied, “I do not mind,” and I hurried over that way.
Yumi was seated facing toward us, and she energetically called out, “Oh, it’s Asuta and Ai Fa!” causing Jou Ran’s back to visibly twitch. When she saw that, Ai Fa shot a piercing glare at him.
“Hey, Jou Ran. Hey, Cheem Sudra. So this is where you’ve been? Have you been enjoying the banquet?” I asked.
Looking as composed as always, Cheem Sudra nodded and said, “Indeed.” However, Jou Ran’s eyes were shifting back and forth restlessly, causing Ai Fa’s glare to grow even more intense.
“You seem like you’re enjoying yourselves. What were you talking about?”
“Oh, this Jou Ran guy was talking about romance with us! Sounds like that kind of thing can get pretty complicated here at the forest’s edge too, huh?!”
Yumi and Ben were both smiling brightly and enjoying themselves. Meanwhile, though, despite being in her banquet attire, Ai Fa was starting to give off the intense aura of a hunter.
A few seconds later, Jou Ran stood up in a fluster. “Y-You’ve got it all wrong! Please, just hear me out, Ai Fa!”
“And what do I have wrong, exactly?”
“Jou Ran didn’t say anything that would shame anyone else. He only spoke about his own mistakes,” Cheem Sudra chimed in, still seated.
“Yeah, that’s right!” Yumi added with a smile. “The guy looked kinda down, so I decided to say hi. And he said something was troubling him, so I told him he could consult with us.”
“Right. But if you go around spreading romance stories carelessly, it can cause trouble for others. That’s why I suggested not giving any names,” Cheem Sudra said with a shrug.
“Exactly!” Jou Ran exclaimed. “I spoke at some length about my feelings, but I was careful not to say anything that would embarrass anyone else! I swear to the mother forest that that is the truth!”
Ai Fa kept aiming a suspicious glare at him even so.
However, Ben didn’t seem to notice that at all. “Still, it sure is rough when the person you’ve got feelings for already likes someone else. And when it’s clear it’ll never be mutual, that’s just the worst!” he said.
“Yeah, but there’s no helping that! If you want to put your crush’s happiness first, you’ve gotta step back! And I’d say it’s really impressive how you chose to do that yourself!” Yumi added.
Judging from what the two of them were saying, it seemed like they didn’t know he had been talking about me and Ai Fa. I could feel my face going a bit red, but at the same, I felt really grateful to Cheem Sudra.
“Still, that sort of stuff happens all the time in town. Are romance troubles rare at the forest’s edge?”
“I wouldn’t say they never happen, but who you marry comes down to the guidance of the mother forest. If you learn the person you like has feelings for someone else, you have to let go of your feelings, but I suppose it probably isn’t unusual for people to brood over it for a while afterward like Jou Ran is doing,” Cheem Sudra replied.
“Ooh!” Yumi loudly chimed in. “You people of the forest’s edge are so pure! Normally, folks would get all agitated and be a lot more wishy-washy about it! At least, that’s how it goes in the post town!”
“Is that so? But there isn’t any point in continuing to let it bother you after you’ve given up,” Jou Ran said with a pleading look in his eyes, only for Yumi to slap him on the arm with a big grin.
“It’s human nature to get upset about this kind of thing even if there isn’t any point to it! So you can go ahead and vent your feelings as much as you like! It gets easier when you share that sort of stuff with other people!”
“R-Right, thank you,” Jou Ran muttered, sitting back down. Ai Fa gave a deep sigh, but Cheem Sudra shot her a look that seemed to be meant to tell her not to worry. He must have been staying watchful to make sure that Jou Ran didn’t mention Yun Sudra’s name either.